This week on White Space, we talk about satellite-based optical communications. That’s sky lasers, now considered a viable alternative to fiber in the ground. Use cases might be limited, but we know Equinix will be one of the first to try the technology out.

Microsoft has filed a patent for an underwater data center that simultaneously serves as an artificial foundation for coral reefs - an interesting take on last year’s Project Natick.

East Tennessee State University has had to move its data center from the basement, due to frequent leaks from the dorms above. The dorms are reputedly haunted by at least two ghosts: Marble Boy and Sink Girl. The latter is known for opening water taps at random. You are free to make your own conclusions.

We continue to follow controversy around tax incentives used to encourage data center development in remote corners of the US - this time it’s Oregon that’s been advised to stop giving away money.

GPU juggernaut Nvidia is set to launch a videogame streaming service. The company will attempt to succeed where others have failed by offering users remote access to hardware capable of playing the most resource-hungry games, saving them from having to spend thousands of dollars on an enthusiast-level PC.

In Europe, KPN’s colocation business has been spun off as NLDC. Meanwhile French cloud and hosting specialist OVH has revealed UK expansion plans, just a month after announcing a new facility in Germany.